Running Down
by Reader.Writer.TVLover
Summary: Upon her father's death, Rose Hathaway receives information that will forever change her life: the baby she'd thought died at birth is alive. Rose is forced to turn to Dimitri, the father of her baby and the only man she's ever loved, for help. AU/AH
1. Boom!

_a/n: This first part is going to be a bit confusing, but everything will become clearer as the story goes on. I hope you enjoy this one! It's filled with much more angst than the other one I'm working on!_

* * *

"I'm coming," Rose muttered as she stumbled her way to the front door of her Los Angeles apartment. She'd stayed out clubbing with Lissa last night, so whoever was at her front door at this ungodly hour—she squinted as she looked at the clock. 11 am. Well, not _so_ ungodly, she corrected herself. Still…whoever it was better have a damn good reason for waking her up.

She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and pulled the front door open. She looked the portly gentlemen in the expensive suit up and down. "Can I help you?" she asked.

"Rose Hathaway?"

"Who wants to know?" she shot back.

"I'm your father's attorney," he stated.

"Awww, hell," Rose practically growled, wide awake at the mention of the man who'd been absent for most of her life. "What does he want to do now? Sue me for being a shitty daughter?"

"No, ma'am. It's hard to sue someone from the grave," he said wryly. "We've left you several messages, but you haven't returned our calls. You left us with no other alternative. We need to—"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Rose said, holding up a hand. "From the _what_? Did my…is my…is my father _dead_?" she asked.

"Yes, ma'am," the lawyer said. "I'm very sorry for your loss."

"Newsflash, buddy. You can't lose something you never had."

"We need to read his will," the man continued. "But your father insisted that you be there for it."

"Look, I'm really not interested in anything my father may have left me," she informed him as she began to shut the door.

"Ms. Hathaway—"

"Ms. Hathaway is my mother," she said shortly. "I'm Rose. And I don't have a father. I never have," she said softly before slamming the door in the man's face.

Rose sighed as she sagged against the closed door. So the bastard had kicked the bucket.

"So much for only the good dying young," she muttered as she pushed away from the door and headed for the fridge. She needed hangover food.

* * *

"I don't understand this _stupid _letter, Mom," Rose hissed into the receiver. She looked down at the white sheet of paper in her hands and read the typed words again. _I'm so very sorry, Rose. If I could take it back, I would. But I can't. And I've stolen the one thing from you that should've been most precious. Forgive me. _"Wha—is he talking about my childhood?" she asked in confusion.

"No," her mother said weakly.

"Then…what is he talking about?" Rose asked impatiently. "You know—this is just like dad to have the last word! And I can't even question him about it."

"Rose, listen very carefully to me. We...thought we were doing the right thing. We…we were doing the only thing we knew to do to help you."

"I don't...Mom, I _still _don't understand. You're talking in circles!"

"You had an affair with your teacher, Rose," her mother said. "We wanted you to have a clean break from him."

Her heart pricked at the thought of the only man she'd ever loved. "Mom—"

"Your baby, Rose," her mother interrupted.

Rose stiffened at the reminder of the daughter she'd given birth to almost four years ago. "Mom, I told you not to ever bring her up again," she warned angrily.

"She didn't die, Rose," her mother whispered.

"Wha—what in the _hell _are you talking about?" Rose asked harshly. "Of course she died! She never even cried, Mom! She never opened her eyes!"

She heard her mother sigh on the other end of the phone.

"Rose, the baby's heart stopped for just a moment after she was born, but after the midwife left the room with her, she was able to restart it by massaging it."

"Mom—wha—what are you saying? Are you saying my baby's alive?"

"Yes, Rose," her mother admitted. "Your daughter's alive."

Rose's body began shuddering with sobs as the dropped the phone to the floor.


	2. Flights, Desperation, and Anger

_a/n: Thank you so much for the reviews for last chapter. I hope you enjoy this one!_

* * *

"_Oh, grow up, Rose! He is a twenty five year old man and _you_ are a seventeen year old girl. Do you really think you were anything more than a roll in the hay to him?" Janine Hathaway hissed._

_Rose stiffened as she clenched her fists at her side. "You don't know anything about him!" she shot back angrily. "Dimitri loves me and—"_

_Her mother laughed cruelly. "He loves you? Surely my daughter isn't that naïve. The best thing you can do, Rose, is forget him. Because I'll tell you right now—he's already forgotten you! Someone else has already taken your place in his bed!" Her mother closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I'll make you an appointment at the clinic, and we'll take care of this little problem," she said, her eyes falling to her daughter's stomach. "It will be like nothing ever happened."_

_Rose wrapped her arms protectively over her still flat belly. "I already told you. I. Am not. Having. An abortion!" she said resolutely._

"_Yes, Rose. You are."_

"_Oh, what are you gonna do?" she asked heatedly. "Drag me kicking and screaming inside the clinic and hold me down on the table while they take my baby, Mother?"_

_Janine lifted her chin. "If I have to, yes! But I'm sure that won't be necessary. You'll see reason, Rose," she said confidently. "In a few days the reality of this situation will kick in, and I would hope you are mature enough to realize that at seventeen years old, a baby would destroy your life."_

"_Like I destroyed yours?" Rose asked in a low voice. "If that's what you're worried about…don't. I'm not like you. I wouldn't blame my kid for all of my inadequacies. I'd actually take responsibility for them."_

"_Responsibility?" her mother spat. "You'll get a healthy dose of _that_ in about seven months if you don't get your head on straight."_

The sound of her bedroom door slamming in her memory…or had it been a dream…was enough to awaken Rose with a start. She stretched with a stifled groan and then checked her watch. She'd been in the air for almost two hours. They'd be landing soon, and she'd have to endure a four hour layover before continuing on to her destination.

She hadn't returned to Maine or seen either of her parents since the day after she'd given birth. She'd been eighteen by then and convinced that her mother was right. After all that time, Dimitri had surely moved on. And what other reason did she have to get in touch with him? Their baby had died. She certainly didn't want to have to relive it again by telling him. Why cause him the same pain when there was nothing he could do to fix it? And why interrupt his life?

No. There'd been nothing left for her in Maine. So she'd packed her bags and driven for over a week, stopping only when necessary to eat, use the restroom, or sleep. She'd ended up in Los Angeles and when she'd seen a taekwondo sign in the window of a small building she realized that this was her destination. It was something she'd done when she'd been in junior high and hadn't stopped until her parents had sent her away to a private school that didn't offer it as an extracurricular activity.

But the thought of clearing her mind…of focusing on something other than the baby she'd lost and the man she'd loved (or thought she'd loved, according to her mother)…was something Rose desperately needed. So she'd walked into the glass building that day unaware that once again, her life would be forever changed.

It hadn't been long before she'd been 'discovered.'

At eighteen years old, Vasilisa 'Lissa' Dragomir was a rising star and in true Hollywood style, she had the stalkers that—more often than not—accompanied the fame. She'd been resistant to any kind of protection, so her parents and agent had put their heads together and found that the only solution would be to surround Lissa with people her own age who were more than able to protect her should the need arise.

Rose had been approached after class one day, and after months and months of extensive physical and mental training, she'd been among the first to guard the young movie star. By this time, after a mishap involving a crazy fan and a gun, Lissa had seen the rationale of round the clock protection.

Rose had spent the last four years with Lissa, and in addition to being her bodyguard, the young women had become fast friends.

_Ladies and gentlemen we will be landing…_

The captain's voice pulled Rose from her reverie, but she didn't need to hear the rest. She'd spent enough time globetrotting with Lissa to know the spiel; she fastened her seatbelt and awaited the landing.

* * *

The four hour layover felt more like four days to Rose; she supposed that was typical when you were about to receive information that could alter your life forever. But she was finally in the air again, and soon Rose was going to find out where her daughter was, and subsequently what kind of life the little girl was living. Had she been placed in a loving home? Was she with parents who'd been desperate to have a child of their own and smothered _hers_ with love? She'd heard horrific stories of children who'd been adopted and then treated terribly. She wouldn't be able to bear it if that had happened to her daughter!

She'd been too shocked and angry to listen to anything more from her mother during their phone call. She'd hung up and after making her travel arrangements, she'd had one of Lissa's 'people' call her mother to let her know that Rose would be visiting…and when. She'd booked the first available flight; it hadn't left her with any time to pack, but that didn't matter to Rose.

All she wanted was her daughter.

And since Janine Hathaway had had the nerve to steal her, the least she could do was answer for it face to face.


	3. Making a Deal with the Devil

_a/n: Thank you for the reviews for last chapter!_

* * *

"Come on, girl!" Dimitri Belikov quickened his pace in an effort to beat the golden retriever back to the house this time. It wasn't going to happen, he knew, but it was still fun to try. His feet pounded on the pavement as he rounded into the driveway. The dog was already waiting for him at the front door, barking as if cheering him on while her tail wagged eagerly.

Dimitri laughed as he came to a stop in front of the canine. Taking her face in his hands, he moved them quickly back and forth. "Good girl," he said, and then reached for the bottle of water he'd left beside the front steps. He took a hefty swallow, and then walked inside.

"Hey," he said in surprise. "I didn't notice your car out front."

His girlfriend of the past year and half gave him a dirty look. "Yeah, you don't notice a lot of things," she informed him.

He immediately frowned. "Something wrong?" he asked halfheartedly. Rebecca had become pretty high maintenance over the last few months, and Dimitri wasn't sure he liked it.

"Of course something is wrong!" she practically hissed.

Dimitri stood there as she let a huge sigh out; he guessed she was trying to collect herself. If there was one thing Rebecca didn't like, it was losing control. "Every time I try to bring up our future, you try to distract me with your words or…your kisses—"

"You don't like my kisses?" he asked with a wry grin as he took a step forward.

"That's not the point," Rebecca said quickly as she retreated. Dimitri came to an immediate halt. "D," she started, softening her voice.

Dimitri hated it when she called him D, but every time he brought it up, she'd laugh it off. He stopped bringing it up a long time ago.

"I think we both know that this isn't going anywhere. So…_I_ am. I came to get all of my stuff..." She laughed miserably. "Not that there's much of it. You'd think after a year and a half I'd have more than one dresser drawer and a place for my toothbrush at my boyfriend's house."

"Rebecca," Dimitri said. "I—"

She nodded. "I know. You're not ready." She walked over and gave him a soft kiss on the cheek, then stepped back. Her eyes were filled with sorrow. "The thing is, D, I don't think you're ever _going _to be ready. Not with me, anyway." She gave him a sad grin. "It'll only take me a few minutes to collect my things."

Dimitri knew he should say something to stop her...but what? She was right. He wasn't ready for more with her, and he never would be. The truth was he'd fallen in love years ago. And he'd never fallen out.

* * *

"_Mr. Belikov."_

_Dimitri turned around at the sound of his name. "Can I help you?" he asked, taken by surprise at the intrusion. It was Christmas break, and he'd thought he was the only person in the building. He'd come in to freshen up the paint on the walls and hadn't expected company. _

"_My name is Janine Hathaway. I'm Rose Hathaway's mother."_

_Dimitri felt his entire body stiffen. The mother of the student he was having an affair with was not a good sign. Certainly no good would come of this._

"_Yes," she informed him in a brusque tone. "I know about your affair with my daughter."_

"_Mrs. Hathaway—"_

"_And I'm prepared to make you an offer," she interrupted._

_Dimitri's eyebrows drew together in confusion. "An offer?" he asked. He instantly disliked the woman. Besides the fact that she was calling him out, Rose has had plenty of horror stories to tell him about her mother. Dimitri had to admit, he'd wondered if she'd exaggerated some, but now, after having been in her presence for mere seconds, he wondered if Rose had toned things down for his benefit._

"_Yes, Mr. Belikov. An offer. I'm assuming you know that my daughter is only seventeen years old?"_

"_Yes," Dimitri answered in a low voice._

_Mrs. Hathaway nodded. "And that if I decided to press charges, you'd likely be found guilty of statutory rape?" she continued. "Your career down the drain?"_

_Dimitri cleared his throat. "Yes," he said again._

"_Good," Mrs. Hathaway said with a sober grin. "I'm glad to see that we're on the same page. Mr. Belikov, I think you've put my daughter through enough, don't you?" She didn't wait for answer. "Pressing charges…exposing my daughter to _you _again, not to mention the unfortunate events a trial would certainly bring is not in any of our best interests. Would you agree?"_

"_Yes," Dimitri said, his throat dry._

"_Good. Then it's settled. I've done my research, Mr. Belikov, and as luck would have it your contract was for a single year. My daughter won't be returning next semester, and _you _won't be returning next fall. You're to have no further contact with my daughter. Not now. Not ever. Is that understood, Mr. Belikov?_

_Now that the shock had worn off a bit and Dimitri was finally coherent, he had a few questions of his own. "What are you planning to tell your daughter?" he asked._

_Mrs. Hathaway's gaze narrowed. "I'm going to explain to her just exactly what it is that a twenty-five year old man finds so appealing about a seventeen year old girl," she snapped._

"_And what would that be, Mrs. Hathaway?"_

"_You mean aside from her virginity?" _

_Dimitri's jaw began to tick at her words. "She won't believe you. She knows how much I love her."_

_Janine laughed; the sound of her cackling sent a chill down his spine. "I'll take care of that."_

* * *

Rebecca was finally gone, and Dimitri was instantly assaulted with memories he'd been trying to smother for four years. Any time anything significant happened in his life memories of Rose tried to resurface. He was usually able to fight them off, but this time…he didn't want to.

He couldn't help but wonder about her. His heart ached for the young woman she'd been…for whatever lies her mother had told her.

He hadn't realized he'd been waiting for Rose to come back until that last day of the school year. He'd taken his time packing his things up, and then puttered around the room, straightening and moving things around until the janitor had come in and asked if he'd needed help with anything. But no, he hadn't needed help. He realized then that he'd been waiting for Rose. He knew that once he left this room—and town—that it really _was_ over. That Janine Hathaway had convinced her daughter he'd never loved her.

But the thing that haunted Dimitri the most was that maybe the whole thing had been a lie...maybe Rose had never loved _him_.


	4. Everything Falls Apart

_a/n: Thank you so much for reading and reviewing last chapter! :)_

_As you've probably figured out, the parts that are in italics are flashbacks. I hope you enjoy this installment.  
_

* * *

_"Dance with me," Dimitri said softly, extending his hand toward Rose as he stood up from his living room couch. She groaned even as she grasped his hand, and with a solid tug, Dimitri had her on her feet._

_"You're just trying to pacify me," Rose said with a pout that was entirely too tempting._

_"If I was trying to pacify you, Roza, my lips would be on yours," he teased huskily. But the truth was-enough was enough. He'd reached his restraint capacity for the night._

_"Then you're trying to find a way to keep things PG," she complained as his hands came to rest on her back, pulling her closer to him._

_"Yes," he agreed, dropping a kiss on her forehead. "And you're making it nearly impossible."_

_He watched as Rose took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "Dimitri, please," she begged in a whisper._

_"No," he said with much more conviction than he felt._

_"But I want you," she insisted stubbornly._

_A grin tugged at the corner of his lips. That was his Roza-always stubborn. "And I want you," he said with a squeeze. "And when you're eighteen-"_

_"But that's more than six months away!" she exclaimed as she stepped back. To glare up at him, apparently. "I'll _never _be able to wait that long! Dimitri, it's already been ten weeks," she said shrilly._

_"Roza-"_

_"No!" she said, shaking her head violently. "You don't understand. I ache...in places I didn't even know existed. Do you know what that's like?"__  
_

_"Yes," Dimitri said wryly. "I know what that's like."  
_

_"Then why are we doing this to ourselves?" Rose demanded. "I want to feel you, Dimitri," she said as she closed the distance between them. She rose to her tiptoes and circled her arms around his neck, making her body flush with his. "Inside of me," she finished in a whisper. She buried her face in the curve that went from his neck to his shoulder and ran the tip of her nose back and forth over his flesh.  
_

_"Roza," Dimitri said in a scolding tone as he gave her a half-hearted push away.  
_

_It gave Rose just enough room to reach between them and open the top button of his shirt. He noticed her hands shaking, but her anticipation must have been enough to spur her on. She leaned forward and placed a kiss in the center of his chest; Dimitri nearly jumped back. Every time they kissed, it was electric, but he'd never imagined her lips would do the same thing to the rest of his body.  
_

_She stroked his chest, her hand reaching around to his lower back and pulled him closer to her. She lifted her lips to his, and he was powerless. After ten weeks with her, he could no longer hold back. He knew he should have, but he couldn't.  
_

_He'd been unable to resist her that night, and the ones that followed. It would have been impossible to turn her away once he'd been with her._

* * *

Rose was surprised when she glanced at her watch and realized her flight had landed more than forty minutes early. But that was a good thing; she'd had a lot of time to think on the plane and then the four hour layover. She didn't want to see her mother quite yet, and after a quick call to one of Lissa's 'people' in Los Angeles asking them to call her mother and let her know that her flight had been delayed, she'd gained a bit of time.

Her mind was still whirling. She'd spent the last four years trying to pretend that she'd never been pregnant, that she hadn't given birth to a baby girl and then buried her. It was easier to pretend it never happened than to relive the grief every time she remembered it _had. _Maybe a bigger person, a stronger person, could have done it. But after losing Dimitri, and then their daughter, Rose hadn't had it in her.

But it was a lie...all of it.

All this time, she'd _been _a mother. She just hadn't known. But her mother had...and her father. And apparently the midwife who'd helped her to deliver. Rose scowled. She wondered how much money it had taken to keep the woman quiet. Did the woman regret what she'd done...lying to a seventeen year old girl about her daughter dying? Rose hoped she did...that she couldn't sleep at night because she was haunted by what she'd done. But she doubted it. The woman had probably never even given her a second thought.

_And I shouldn't be giving her one, _Rose thought angrily.

She glanced down at her phone and scrolled through her most recent calls. After finding the number she'd called just before boarding her flight, she hit redial.

* * *

Dimitri had just finished loading the dishwasher when there was a knock on his front door. He lifted the dish towel and was wiping his hands as he made his way to the door when the knocking came again. It was more persistent this time.

"I'm coming," he barked. When he reached the door, he hauled it open with a scowl that made his students shake in their boots. It immediately disappeared. "Roza," he said in a low voice.

"Hi, Dimitri," she said in a voice so small it instantly let him know something wasn't right.

"Are you OK?" he asked softly.

To his shock, the young woman before him who had always been so strong crumbled. Her chin fell to her chest and she began to sob. The dish towel he'd been holding fell to the floor and he stepped forward, taking her in his arms.


	5. author's note

_Hey, guys. I'm picking this story back up and hoping to have the next chapter up soon! (Friday at the latest.) _

_But I need your help! _

_Want to weigh in on the story? Visit the poll on my profile page and vote on what you would like Rose and Dimitri's daughter to be named. I will keep the poll open until I write the chapter where Rose and Dimitri discover her name for themselves._

_Thanks for your help! :)_


	6. Dimitri

a/n: Hey, guys. Want to weigh in on this story? Visit the poll on my profile page and vote on what you would like Rose and Dimitri's daughter to be named. I will keep the poll open until I write the chapter where Rose and Dimitri discover her name for themselves.

Thanks to everyone who took the time to review the last chapter! :)

* * *

"_Push, Rose," her mother coached in a soft voice. _

"_Anytime now, Rose," the midwife informed her, as she looked up from between Rose's legs with a smile. "You'll be meeting your son or daughter soon."_

_Rose gasped for air as she nodded her head jerkily; her mother used a wet cloth to gently wipe beads of sweat from her forehead. "How are you doing?" she asked._

"_Tired," Rose admitted. _

"_It won't be long now," her mother reminded her. "The baby will come, and you'll be able to get some rest."_

_Rose laughed weakly. "I have a feeling that's not true."_

_Much to her surprise, her mother had proved to be her rock throughout the last few months of her pregnancy. Gone was the stern woman who'd insisted Rose get rid of her baby. She'd helped Rose decorate a nursery in yellows and greens, as the baby hadn't been cooperative when the doctors had tried to determine the sex. _

_Rose grit her teeth as another pain hit, and the midwife lowered her head to between Rose's legs again. "Come on, Rose," the woman said. "Give me a _big _push."_

_Rose closed her eyes and pushed as hard as she could, screaming as the pain intensified. "Another one, Rose," the woman said._

_Rose shook her head. "I...I can't," she said breathlessly. "It hurts."_

"_It's almost over," her mother said, and only when she reflected on this moment now, would Rose realize the sound of finality in her mothers voice. As if she knew something Rose didn't._

_Rose pursed her lips to hold back another scream and pushed as hard as she could._

"_It's a girl!" the midwife announced, and Rose's eyes flew open._

"_She's not crying," Rose said, panicked. "Why isn't she crying?" She looked wildly around the room, but everyone had gathered around the midwife, who suddenly stood and rushed from the room with the silent infant in her arms._

"_Mom!" Rose shrieked._

* * *

_She was gone. Her daughter was gone. Before she could even hold her, before she could kiss her, her baby was gone, her little heart giving out before she'd had a chance to open her eyes. Rose squeezed her own eyes shut as she turned her head on her pillow and began to weep. And for the first time since she was a little girl, she longed for a mother's comforting arms._

_Or better yet, Dimitri's arms. She wouldn't have had to ask him; if he had been there with her, he'd have gathered her in his arms and held her close as she'd sobbed into his shoulder. Rose had never felt so alone in all her life._

_And despite the closeness she and her mother had found over the last few months, Rose had been unable to stay, unable to forgive her for not allowing Rose to get in touch with Dimitri._

_And the next day, she'd packed up and left. And she'd never looked back._

* * *

His t-shirt was instantly drenched with tears, but Dimitri ignored them. He held her close, his arms instinctively tightening as sobs wracked her body. He took a few steps backward, dragging her with him, then used his heel to kick the door shut. She clung to him, her fingers curling into the fabric covering his chest as he swept her up into his arms and made his way to the couch. He felt her rapid, warm breaths against his neck as she struggled for air.

Once he'd settled them against the cushions, he gently pushed her hair back from her tear-streaked face. The lack of awkwardness he felt after not seeing her for so long surprised him, but he leaned forward and brushed her tears away with his lips anyway. "Roza," he murmured softly. "Ssh."

Aside from holding her and trying to reassure her, Dimitri was at a loss for what to do; he had no idea what was wrong with her, but she'd come to him. After years of not seeing him, she'd shown on his doorstep and all but collapsed in his arms.

"Roza," he whispered against her temple as he gave her a soft kiss. "Tell me you're OK," he said firmly.

She pulled away, as much as he'd let her, and gave him a jerky nod. "I...I'm OK," she confirmed through her sobs.

He sighed in relief before pulling her against him once again and smoothing her hair away from her face. He didn't know how much time had passed, how long he'd stroked her hair before her sobs subsided and her body stopped shaking.

She flatted her palm against his chest and tried to push herself away, but he shook his head. The fierce desire he'd always had to protect her, the desire that had only intensified after he'd met her mother, bubbled over and he gave her a light squeeze. "Not yet," he said gruffly.

Instead of fighting him as he'd expected her to do, she sagged against him. Her cheek rested against his chest as the tip of her index finger traced the words on his t-shirt.

"I'm sorry," she said in a strangled whisper without looking up at him.

"For what?" he asked.

Her nervous laughter vibrated against his chest. "For showing up on your doorstep after not having seen you for years and freaking out."

"There's no need to apologize, Roza."

He heard her choke back another sob as she nodded her head against his chest.

"Though an explanation would be nice," he said gently.

Rose took a deep breath and he let her pull away from him this time. He was glad when she made no effort to leave his lap, simply adjusted her body so she was facing him. Her inner thighs rested against his outer ones, and once again, her focus was on the letters of his t-shirt.

"I don't even know where to start, Dimitri, I don't even—" Her eyes flew to his. "My _God!_ I didn't even ask..." When she made a move to bolt, he settled his hands at her waist and held her in place.

"Didn't even what?" he asked softly.

"I practically _attacked _you," she said. "And I don't even know if you're with anyone."

"I'd hardly call it an attack, Roza," he said with a chuckle as he looked up at her. "And I'm not with anyone."

* * *

She hadn't realized how important it was to her until he'd told her wasn't with anyone, and to her mortification, sobs tore through her once again. She buried her face in the curve where his shoulder met his neck and pressed her body against his as he wrapped his arms around her, holding her as if he'd never let go.

"You're starting to scare me, Roza."

Rose battled for composure and when she finally found it, reluctantly lifted her head. Her eyes locked with his and she studied his face for a moment—the face she thought she might never see again. The longing she'd been fighting since she'd last seen him was reflected in his eyes. She was unable to stop herself from lowering her head and brushing her lips gently against his. His hands dropped to her hips and settled there, and once again, Rose forced herself to pull away from him.

"Dimitri," she whispered.

He didn't say anything, just gazed at her expectantly.

She swallowed past the lump in her throat. "I need your help."

"OK," he said without hesitation, and Rose felt her heart leap. It was that easy with him; it had always been that easy with him.

She ran her hand up over his chest until she was clenching his shoulder. "Dimitri...eight months after we were separated...I...I gave birth to a baby girl."

She shut her eyes at his sharp intake of breath.

"_Your _baby." She opened her eyes and forced herself to meet his gaze. "Dimitri...I need you to help me find her."


	7. Finally Safe

_a/n: Thank you all so much for the reviews for last chapter! :)  
_

_If you tried to vote on my poll after last chapter and weren't able to, my apologies. I had it marked as closed. It's been fixed now, so don't forget to stop by and vote if you want a say in what Rose and Dimitri's daughter's name will be._

* * *

Rose felt Dimitri's entire body freeze. As he stared her, she watched the questioning look in his eyes turn to accusing. When he tried to push her away, she tightened her inner thighs around his outer ones and curled her fingers into his shirt. "Please don't," she begged.

"You gave our baby away?" he asked through clenched teeth.

She shook her head back and forth fervently as she locked her gaze with his. "_No_," she said firmly. "It's not what you think. I would _never _have given our baby away."

"Then you better put my mind at ease really fucking quickly, Roza," he bit out.

When he dropped back against the cushions, Rose allowed her body to relax and unclenching her fists, her hand slid over his chest. He grabbed her wrist to still her. "Start fucking talking," he snapped.

Rose took a deep breath and closed her eyes, exhaling softly as she opened them. "I don't know how my mother found out about us," she whispered. "But she told me she knew, and that she was going to get rid of you." She laughed miserably. "I told her there was _no_ way you would leave me."

* * *

Dimitri could feel his heart beating in his chest. _A daughter? _He shook his head, trying to contain his thoughts so he could listen to Rose; it was impossible.

"I told her there was no way you would leave me."

He met her gaze and was surprised to find there was no censure there, merely curiosity.

"I didn't have a choice, Rose. She brought it to the administration. But you know the good thing about private schools?" has asked sarcastically. "They're susceptible to bribery. Your mother paid them not to tell anyone what went on between us, and to give me a good reference under the condition that my new job was at least halfway across the country," he explained.

Rose nodded. "That sounds like my mother."

He lifted his hands to her thighs and gave her a gentle squeeze. "What happened to the baby, Roza?" he asked softly.

She licked her lips nervously. "When I found out I was pregnant, I _begged _her to let me call you, but she wouldn't. She kept putting me off, telling me that I could call you after the baby was born. By then, they'd had the landline turned off and taken my cell phone away from me. I wasn't allowed to leave the house."

"A prisoner in your own home," he said softly.

"It seemed so _dramatic_," Rose said. "And looking back I…I should have realized something was going on. All of a sudden my mother was so supportive. Helping me pick out things for the baby…she even let me leave the house so we could go shopping. But every time we left, we drove for _hours. _My mother insisted on taking me only to specialty shops, and for a daughter who'd never had her mother's attention…I was thrilled."

Her eyes filled with tears, and he watched as she swallowed past the lump in her throat. She tilted her head to the side and closed her eyes. "But it was a lie. All of it." Her voice was thick with emotion and he resisted the urge to wrap his arms around her. "It's obvious now that she just wanted me away from everyone we knew; she didn't want anyone to know I was pregnant.

"When the baby was born, they told me it was a girl…but she wasn't crying. Everything I'd read told me she'd come out screaming, and I started _freaking_ out asking what was wrong with her." Her voice was shaky now, and he was unable to stop himself. He put his arms around her and she settled closer to him, her hands resting against his chest as her body sunk into his. "The midwife whisked her from the room and my mother told me everything would be fine."

"Midwife?" Dimitri asked.

"My mother's idea," Rose said bitterly. "She thought it would be a good idea for me to give birth in comfortable surroundings. As if that house had _ever _been comfortable," she spat.

"Rose—"

"I never saw her again," she continued with a hard edge in her voice. "The midwife told me she was stillborn. I _begged _them to bring her to me. I wanted to see her—I wanted to hold her just _one_ time. My mother convinced me it was a bad idea, and I let her."

She choked back a sob. "If I had insisted on seeing her, Dimitri—"

"They told you she was dead, Roza," he reminded her softly. "You were scared, and your mother took advantage of that."

"I should have _made_ them let me see her," she argued.

"When did you find out she was alive?" he asked.

"A few days ago."

He sobered at the information; she'd found out their daughter was alive, and she'd immediately come to find him.

"My dad died," she went on. "His lawyer delivered this letter to me that made absolutely no sense, and when I called my mother…she told me the truth."

"Does she know where…our daughter is?" he asked, trying to hold back his anger. It had been bad enough when Janine Hathaway had taken her daughter from him, but to find out she'd also taken _his _daughter from him…from _them_…was unfathomable.

"I don't know," Rose admitted. "I didn't ask her because I was afraid she'd lie to me. But I don't think…I don't think she'd lie to _you_."

"You want me to confront her."

"I want you to come with me," Rose corrected.

* * *

Rose was surprised when he thrust her away from him and spring to his feet. Dragging a hand through his hair, he began to pace back and forth in front of the couch.

"Dimitri?" she asked softly. "I know you're mad at me—"

"You?" he hissed as he turned to face her. "I'm pissed at _myself_ for not even considering I may have gotten you pregnant. God, Roza. You were only eighteen. I can't imagine how scared you must have been…how alone you must have felt…"

Rose wished she could reassure him, but his words were true. She'd never felt so alone, never wanted anyone more than she'd wanted him after their baby had been taken away. After the last few days, her wounds were wide open again, but at least she'd known about their daughter. Every bit of information was new to Dimitri, and she couldn't imagine how he was feeling. She jumped up off the couch and moved until she was blocking him from pacing.

"Please," she said desperately as she lifted herself up onto her tiptoes and placed one hand on his shoulder. The other reached around to tangle in his hair as she placed a soft kiss on his lips. "It's not your fault, Dimitri," she whispered.

"Roza," he said gruffly as he lifted his hands to her waist and held her firmly against him.

Lowering herself back down to her feet she looked up at him, eyes wide. Her heart started racing in her chest as his eyes darkened with desire.

"Roza?" he asked softly.

Absently she ran her tongue over her lower lip before giving a single nod.

His lips came crashing down onto hers at the same time he hauled her body against his. Rose's arms tightened around his neck as she clung to him.

It was only a moment before she realized she hadn't felt this safe since the last time she was in his arms.


End file.
